Scientific Method Worksheet

About this resource

A complete scientific method kit for grades 6-8, built for the table where students need different amounts of support. Students read a one-page reference (the six steps, the three kinds of variable and six key words, with room to write what they know), put the steps in order, fill in a paragraph, sort out the independent, dependent and controlled variables, write If, then hypotheses, answer multiple-choice and true-or-false questions, read a data table and draw the bar graph, plan a fair test of their own, sort observations from hypotheses, and write short answers and explanations. Every page has a name line, one short instruction and real room to write. Three answer keys, a tracker, a class grid, a progress note and a family page are included, so nothing has to be written from scratch.

EVERYTHING INSIDE (27 pages)

• 12 student pages in 12 page types: At a Glance, Put the Steps in Order, Fill In the Blanks, Variables, Write a Hypothesis, Multiple Choice, True or False? Fix It, Read the Data and Draw the Graph, Design an Experiment, Cut and Paste Sort, Short Answers and Explain It
• 86 scored items on 11 pages, every answer read from the same lists that draw the pages
• 6 steps of the scientific method to number in order, plus 2 questions about them
• 10 blanks in a paragraph (word box of 12, two not used) plus 3 kinds of variable to name
• 3 experiments to sort into what is changed, what is measured and what is kept the same (one row worked first), plus 3 variables to name and 1 written question
• 3 questions to turn into If, then hypotheses (one worked example), 4 statements to mark as testable or not, and 1 written question
• 8 multiple-choice questions and 8 true-or-false statements (with a line to fix each false one)
• 1 table of invented data (5 amounts of water, from 10 to 50 mL a day, with the height of a bean plant) and a graph grid to draw on
• 1 design-an-experiment page: a question, a hypothesis, the variables, three things kept the same, the steps and a blank data table
• 8 cut-and-paste pieces on one two-box sort mat (observation or hypothesis), edge to edge, each piece 1.75 in by 1.15 in
• 5 short-answer questions with 4 writing lines each, and 3 explanation prompts with 5 or 6 writing lines each
• 3 answer keys, checked against the questions
• 1 tracker (page, page type, items right, date) and 1 whole-class progress grid
• 1 progress note (a hand-off page between team meetings) and 1 family page
• 1 filled example (an invented student, Jordan T.), 1 phrase bank (15 starters in 5 groups), 1 binder cover and 6 divider tabs with a spine label to cut out
• Start Here page

The Page Types

1. At a Glance: the six steps, a banner for a fair test, six key words (hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, controlled variable, data, conclusion) and lines to write what the student knows.

2. Put the Steps in Order: six steps in a mixed-up order to number 1 to 6, then two questions with writing lines.

3. Fill In the Blanks: a paragraph with 10 numbered blanks, then the names of the three kinds of variable, then a short written question about a word not used.

4. Variables: a table of four experiments (one worked), three places to name the kind of variable, and four lines on why only one variable should change.

5. Write a Hypothesis: a worked example, three questions to turn into If, then sentences, four statements to mark as testable or not, and a written question.

6. Multiple Choice: 8 questions with four lettered choices each. The right letter moves from question to question.

7. True or False? Fix It: 8 statements, a T or F box, and a line to rewrite each false one.

8. Read the Data, Draw the Graph: invented data, a graph grid, two short answers and three written answers.

9. Design an Experiment: a question about a toy car and three surfaces, boxes for the hypothesis, what changes, what is measured, three controlled variables, the steps, and a data table.

10. Cut and Paste: Sort It: 8 pieces to sort into Observation or Hypothesis, then a sentence on how they are different.

11. Short Answers: 5 recall questions with 4 lines each.

12. Explain It: 3 short situations (an unfair plant test, three brands of paper towel, a hypothesis the data did not support) with 5 or 6 lines each and sentence starters.

Built For The Student Holding The Page

A big "My name" line, one short instruction, body text at 11 point or larger, answer boxes you can type in or write in, and writing lines at a size that fits middle school handwriting. There are no cartoon characters or baby-ish borders. Nothing on a student page is written for an adult; the keys, tracker and notes are on separate teacher pages. The file prints clean in black and white.

No Guessing The Answer

Wherever a student picks among printed spots (the lettered choices, the order of true and false, the order of the cut pieces, the order of the steps) the position of the right answer is checked in code so it does not sit in the same spot three times in a row.

Type In, Or Print

The name line, every answer box, blank and writing line is a type-in field in any PDF reader (374 in all): click one, type, then save. The same goes for the tracker, the class grid, the progress note and the family page. This is a fillable PDF; it is not a Google Slides or PowerPoint file. The graph and the cut-and-paste sort are for pencil and scissors.

Who This Is For

Middle school science classes, resource rooms, co-taught classrooms and special education teachers who need a complete scientific method unit at grades 6-8 content with room for support: a word box, sentence starters and a reference page. It can be used as a unit, as stations, or one page a day.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

A scientific method worksheet set with the record-keeping around it. The science is the standard middle school textbook version; textbooks rename or combine the steps, so the key tells you to accept your class's own order. It is not a timed test, a screener, a clinical tool, or a claim about any student's age or rate of progress. There is no IEP goal language or eligibility wording anywhere in the file.